Yesterday, Apple announced the release of their revamped PowerBook line. However, something was noticeably absent from the new line: a G5-equipped PowerBook.

The new PowerBook models are indeed faster than their predecessors, with available speeds from 1.5 GHz up to 1.67 GHz. However, the absence of a G5 processor in the new models has caused some to take notice. According to ComputerWorld.com, internal heat issues prevented Apple's developers from going forward:

"As is often the case, Apple officials declined to talk about the prospect of a PowerBook G5 today. But Dave Russell, senior director for portables and wireless at the company, reiterated comments made earlier this month that squeezing a G5 chip into a portable is "the mother of all thermal issues" for Apple. "It's that difficult," he said.

These sentiments are also echoed by ZDNet.com, which reports:

"Although the processors in the new models are slightly faster than those in past PowerBooks, they're not the G5 processor many Mac fans have been waiting for... However, Apple has consistently warned that the heat-related challenges of getting a G5 into a notebook are significant.

"It is fair to say that incorporating a G5 into a notebook as thin and light as the PowerBook is extremely difficult," said David Moody, Apple's vice president of worldwide Mac product marketing, in an interview."

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